For the past year I’ve been using this bassoon stand with my Zendrum. Prior to this I was using a modified guitar stand like the kind most Zendrummers wind up using, however I found out first hand how unstable those can be.

I experimented with violin, saxophone and mandolin stands among others in a search for a better, safer Zendrum stand. Eventually this led me to the Hercules stand.

While a little bit pricier and somewhat heavier than a guitar stand I feel this is the perfect solution for the Zendrum ZX (and probably the EXP model). The stand is rock solid and it fits the Zendrum like a glove. It cannot easily tip over and the Zendrum stays puts even when bumped around. If you’re looking for a solid Zendrum stand then I highly encourage you to check it out.

This is a stripped down version of ZenEdit that runs in your browser and is used to design your very own custom ZX layout. The files that it generates are fully compatible with the full version of ZenEdit so you can hit the ground running when you receive your custom designed Zendrum!

Over the past couple years, I’ve tried a huge number of different sound sources with my Zendrum, trying to the find the “perfect” live rig to suit most situations.

I’ve tried small and simple, large and complex, dedicated hardware modules as well as VST hosts. None of them were quite “right”. With any one rig, I’d have to sacrifice a level of one feature to gain in another.

The key features of a live rig are (to me):

Portability. Ideally, it should be as light and small as possible. I’m willing to compromise on size in exchange for other considerations, though.

Quality of sounds. A Zendrum is not a drum kit, nor is it a replacement for hand percussion, orchestral percussion, etc. However, when I’m using my Zendrum live, I am trying to emulate these types of instruments and therefore I want the sounds and performance to be as life-like as possible. Not every Zendrummer may agree with this position, but it’s important to me. If I’m going to sacrifice sound quality, there has to be a huge payoff for doing so.

Quantity of sounds, ease of kit change. One of my biggest gripes with VSTs used to be how hard it was to switch kits on the fly and how long it would take. I’m coming to terms with this more though by:

Realizing that hardware-based drum modules spoiled me into thinking this was a big deal.

Realizing that I would never expect to be able to swap out my acoustic kit between songs outside of maybe the snare.

Leveraging all the “instrument slots” of my VST to create massive kits of which I just use portions of at a time.

Realizing that much like playing acoustics, changing from sticks to brushes, rods or mallets creates enough variation for one show, and leveraging my Zendrum’s ‘user setups’ to accomplish this rather than changing kits whole cloth.

Flexibility. In addition to supporting the Zendrum, a live rig optimally provides different routing options, inputs for click tracks and sequences, etc. In other words, it shouldn’t be a closed solution.

Tactileness. A huge deal to me and the purpose of this article. If something in the mix is not right, I need to be able to grab a knob or a slider and fix it — often on the fly and as I’m playing.